Traffic stop data shows a smaller racial disparity for black drivers pulled over by Columbia police in 2018 than in the previous year.
Of the 16,707 drivers pulled over last year, 29.13 percent were black; the disparity index for black drivers was 2.92, down from 3.28 in 2017.
Disparity indexes are calculated using 2010 census data and compare traffic stops of a specific group to the population of that group, according to the attorney general’s website. A disparity of 1 would indicate an equal traffic stop to group population ratio. Any number above a 1 suggests a disparity among traffic stops of that specific group.
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